Top stories of 2012: officer-involved shootings prompt ongoing debate

An unprecedented spate of Vallejo police officer-involved shootings -- and the public outcry that followed -- is the Times-Herald newsroom's choice for top story of 2012.

Locally, no series of event raised as many questions this past year about rising crime and the use of deadly force to combat it. The shootings coincide with dwindling numbers on the police force and the still lingering memory of last year's fatal shooting of a popular officer, Jim Capoot.

The dust hasn't settled, and may not anytime soon.

Here is a review of some of the top local stories of 2012.

1. Deadly Force: It was an unusually violent year for Vallejo police. Officers were involved in 10 shootings that killed six people and two dogs.

By comparison, Vallejo police shot and killed two armed suspects in three years leading up to the wave of officer-involved shootings between May 25 and Oct. 21.

In the incidents, no officers were neither fired upon, nor injured.

Police said each case involved veteran officers acting in self-defense -- raising immediate questions in social media and in public demonstrations about whether the shootings would be objectively examined. The department and the Solano County District Attorney's Office are reviewing all the cases.

Additionally, the City Council has asked that the state attorney general conduct an independent investigation into the Sept. 2 incident that resulted in 23-year-old Mario Romero's death and the wounding of another man.

The two were sitting in a parked car in the early morning hours in front of Romero's home when officers stopped their police car and approached Romero's. Police fired at least 30 rounds into the car after Romero allegedly reached for what turned out to be a replica handgun in his waistband. Romero's family has vehemently rejected the official account, saying he neither had such a weapon or that he threatened officers.

Romero's family members and supporters regularly appear at City Council meetings to keep his shooting in the public conscience.

The shooting also prompted council members to ask federal mediators to smooth things over between police and angry citizens. There were calls for police-worn body cameras, which the department bought for all field officers.

The shootings have also rekindled concerns that Vallejo has too few officers to address rising crime, especially involving guns. Three suspects police killed this year were armed with loaded weapons; while two reportedly had replica handguns, police said.

Only one, 41-year-old Anton Barrett, was unarmed. He was shot and killed in May at an apartment complex in the 200 block of Wilson Avenue after a vehicle pursuit.

Police said Barrett did not comply when an officer told him to stop and put his hands up. He allegedly ran toward the officer, and with his hands in the waistband of his hooded sweat jacket, reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark-colored metal object. It turned out to be Barrett's wallet.

A month later, another incident left a 17-year-old Vallejo resident and armed robbery suspect dead. His grief-stricken family, which has joined forces with Romero's family, has pressed for more information about the case.

As official reviews of the shootings continue, the council in October unanimously voted to speed up the hiring of five more officers. Budget cuts had trimmed department staffing levels by one third -- to fewer than 90 sworn officers.

2. Police turnover: There's new blood in the Vallejo Police Department. Longtime chief Robert Nichelini retired after 17 years, paving the way for former Novato chief Joseph Kreins to take the job. Kreins was hired by his old boss, City Manager Dan Keen, who used to be Novato's city manager.

Kreins is proposing a number of reforms, including how to address officer-involved shootings.

3. New Faces: There were many in 2012.

For starters, Keen became Vallejo's first, permanent city manager since 2009. His arrival coincided with the replacement of every city department head. Keen optimistically said he views Vallejo's post-bankruptcy challenges as a "unique opportunity."

In American Canyon, newcomer Kenneth Leary was elected to the City Council. Damon Wright of American Canyon was named Benicia High School's new principal, and the first African American to hold that job. Among other tasks, Wright inherited a pending review of the school's "open-campus" policy.

Also, new boundaries for state legislative and congressional seats gave voters new choices. State Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, will represent Vallejo and Benicia in newly drawn districts once represented by Sen. Noreen Evans and Michael Allen, respectively..

Meanwhile, Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, who represented Vallejo since 1993, saw his district shift from much of Solano County to southern Contra Costa County. Veteran Rep. Mike Thompson will now represent Vallejo and Benicia as well as American Canyon.

The Solano County Board of Supervisors also saw turnover. After two decades in office, Barbara Kondylis of Vallejo did not seek re-election. Also, Mike Reagan lost his reelection bid to former supervisor Skip Thomson.

4. Bud Busts: Vallejo's awkward approach to medical marijuana continued in 2012, with police raiding several storefront collectives as the city implemented a voter-approved dispensary tax.

One dispensary case -- against the operators of the Better Health Group collective -- was thrown out by a Solano County judge this month. At issue were ambiguities in state law concerning what constitutes a legitimate cooperative.

Earlier in the year, a Vacaville man was acquitted of charges of running an illicit dispensary. With more local cases pending, police and prosecutors are weighing their next steps in light of recent state appellate rulings giving marijuana storefronts more leeway to operate.

5. Reprieves: Californians passed Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30, which will raise the state's sales tax by a quarter center for four years, and raise income taxes on people earning more than $250,000 by up to 3 percent for seven years. The measure is projected to generate $6 billion annually to prevent nearly $6 billion in "trigger cuts," mostly to education.

Also, Solano Community College district voters passed a $348 million bond measure to help fund the modernizing of nursing, firefighter, agriculture and biotechnology programs -- and expansions of classroom facilities in Vallejo and Vacaville.

In Benicia, two state parks avoided closure. In May, the city committed $51,000 to maintain the grounds and bathrooms at the Benicia State Historic Capitol. The city proposed another deal to maintain minimal services at the Benicia State Recreation Area. However, the plan was abandoned after almost all state parks got a reprieve in July.

6. Vallejo Drug-Ring: In April, local and federal law enforcement agencies named 25 people -- many of them Vallejo-based rappers -- as defendants in an alleged drug trafficking ring operating across the Bay Area and in several states. The three-year investigation uncovered an alleged network of drug dealers centered in the Country Club Crest neighborhood. Alleged kingpin Michael Lott was a close associate of slain Vallejo rapper Andre "Mac Dre" Hicks.

7. Grassroots Budgeting: Vallejo decided to experiment with letting residents decide how to spend more than $3 million in sales tax money. The effort -- intended to give citizens a bigger say in the city's future -- has only been tried in a few U.S. cities. Proponents view it as a powerful way to engage more people in budget decisions. Skeptics, however, including three Vallejo City Council members worry that the pot of money is too big, and that disenfranchised residents -- especially the poor, the elderly and young -- may not have an equal say in the process. The projects receiving the most votes from residents will be submitted to the council in May for final consideration in next year's budget.

8. Quadruple Homicide: One of the year's most violent crimes involved the slayings of a Vallejo couple and their unborn twins.

The victims, Dashoun Ramon Jones, 31, and his fiancee Ashley Shari Mills, 28, were gunned down Sept. 6 in their home on Atherton Street. Police said the victims were targeted, but have not released any information on a motive. Two black men wearing hooded sweatshirts were seen running from the scene. Mills was six months pregnant with twins -- a boy and a girl -- when she was killed. They would have been born this month.

9. Mayor's office torched: A fire at Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis' law office on Sept. 29 was one of several arson cases in Vallejo this year. A homeless man, 44-year-old Maude Love, was arrested on Oct. 26 on suspicion of starting the fire -- along with two earlier blazes.

The arrest came after Love allegedly bragged about the incident to someone who reported the information to police in a deal to avoid jail time in a separate case. Davis once represented Love in probate proceedings in which Love lost control of the family house following the death of his grandmother and mother. Love has pleaded not guilty, and is awaiting possible trial in Solano County Superior Court.

10. Pedestrians in Danger: Four pedestrians died after being hit by cars. Two were killed in hit-and-runs, including 64-year-old Vallejo resident Thomas Willey who was struck near Louisiana and Sutter streets on Dec. 22. His dog was also killed.

It remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, a suspect in another hit-and-run was arrested Dec. 17. Mark Reeves, 48, of Vallejo, turned himself in to police in connection with the Nov. 16. collision that killed Clementina Funes, 88, who was hit in the crosswalk while crossing Alameda at Virginia streets at about 5:20 p.m.

A 54-year-old Vallejo man remains in grave condition after being hit on Broadway on Christmas Eve. Witnesses and police say the man was in a crosswalk when struck by one or two vehicles racing each other at high speed. The vehicles left the scene without stopping, witnesses told police.

Vallejo police Lt. Sid DeJesus said he has seen an increase in pedestrian fatalities, especially in the span of a few months.

"Over the last two or three months there has been a rash of traffic fatalities," DeJesus said. "In my career, I don't recall such a high number fatalities in such a short period of time."

He said the factors in these fatal incidents include lack of attention and excessive speed.

"There's a tremendous responsibility that comes with driving a motor vehicle," DeJesus said. "People often take that for granted."